Interactive mirror displays for presenting product information

ABSTRACT

Example embodiments of the present disclosure include a system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program and a computer-implemented method for providing an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) on an interactive mirror display. Consistent with some embodiments, the method may include identifying an item based on an identifier obtained from an identification device affixed to the item and accessing in item record for the item from a product database. The method may further include generating the interactive GUI using information included in the item record and causing the interactive GUI to be presented on the interactive mirror display.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. application Ser. No. 14/578,383, filed on Dec. 20, 2014,entitled “INTERACTIVE DISPLAYS BASED ON USER INTEREST,” which claims thebenefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/952,420,entitled “INTERACTIVE RETAIL STORE,” filed on Mar. 13, 2013, both ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application generally relates to data processing systems. Inparticular, example embodiments relate to techniques for facilitatinginteractive commerce and retail transactions.

BACKGROUND

Traditional retail stores typically stock various inventory and itemsfor sale. Commonly, a customer will enter a store, browse through vastamounts of items available for sale, select one of the items that theyare interested in, and try that item on in a fitting room (e.g., in thecase of clothing). While in the store, and particularly while in thefitting room, the customer generally relies upon a sales associate toprovide further information about the items sold in the store, thecurrent inventory of the store, available clothing sizes, compatibleitems and accessories, and feedback and suggestions related to theitems. Once the customer makes the decision to purchase a particularitem, the customer proceeds to a checkout aisle in order to pay for theitem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exampleembodiments of the present invention and cannot be considered aslimiting its scope.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram depicting various functional components of anetworked retail store system, which provides interactive functionalityto consumers at a retail store, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a network diagram depicting a network system having aclient-server architecture configured for exchanging data between thenetworked retail store system and a network-based marketplace,consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of multiplemodules forming the marketplace application, which is provided as partof the network system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting multiple instances of an interactiveproduct display, which is provided as part of the networked retail storesystem, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an instance of the interactive productdisplay, according to some alternative example embodiments.

FIG. 6A is a diagram depicting an instance of an interactive walldisplay, which is provided as part of the networked retail system,according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a graphical user interface (GUI) beingpresented by the interactive wall display, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting an interactive retail store fitting roomhaving an interactive mirror display, according to some exampleembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting various functional components of aninteractive mirror display, which is provided as part of the networkedretail store system, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an interactiveGUI, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing an itemrecommendation to an individual, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for customizingenvironmental settings in a retail environment, consistent with someembodiments.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating customization of the fitting room,depicted in FIG. 7, provided by the interactive mirror display,according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing real-timefeedback from a target audience regarding an item being tried on by anindividual, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing real-timefeedback from a user-specified audience regarding an item being tried onby an individual, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing socialshopping services at an interactive retail store, consistent with someembodiments.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining an interestlevel of an individual at an interactive retail store, consistent withsome embodiments.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method for provisioning feedbackreceived from an individual at an interactive retail store, consistentwith some embodiments.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method for facilitating atransaction after an individual has left a retail store, consistent withsome embodiments.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method for facilitating a returnof a purchased item, consistent with some embodiments.

FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system within which a set of instructions for causingthe machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussedherein may be executed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to specific example embodiments forcarrying out the inventive subject matter. Examples of these specificembodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It will beunderstood that they are not intended to limit the scope of the claimsto the described embodiments. On the contrary, they are intended tocover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the scope of the disclosure. In the following description,specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the subject matter. Embodiments may be practicedwithout some or all of these specific details.

Aspects of the present disclosure involve techniques for providing aninteractive in-store retail shopping experience. Consistent with someembodiments, the interactive shopping experience begins with anindividual receiving an email inviting her to schedule an appointmentwith a retail store. Upon receiving the email, the individual may thenuse interactive elements included in the message to schedule anappointment at the retail store, and select a few items of interest soldat the interactive retail store (e.g., a dress and a handbag). As usedherein, an “individual,” “consumer,” “customer,” or “user” may be usedinterchangeably and refer to a person (e.g., a human) utilizing theservices described herein. As used herein, the term “retail store”refers to a physical, brick-and-mortar retail location that sells itemsto the public. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “items” or“products” refer to goods or services offered for sale at an online oroffline marketplace.

Upon arriving at the retail store, the individual may be recognized(e.g., based on a picture associated with the consumer transmitted to amobile device) and greeted by a sales associate employed at the retailstore. Once the identity of the individual is authenticated by theinteractive retail store system, a sales associate employed by theretail store may begin preparing a fitting room for the consumer withthe items initially selected by the consumer when scheduling theappointment (e.g., the dress and handbag).

Meanwhile, the individual may browse and select additional items offeredfor sale by the retail store (e.g., a shirt and a pair of jeans). Oncethe individual makes her way to the fitting room, she is granted accessto the fitting room upon being authenticated based on, for example,information provided by the client device of the user, facialrecognition, a password or pin number, or biometric data. The fittingroom includes an interactive mirror system that may automaticallyidentify the items brought therein (e.g., the dress, handbag, shirt, andjeans) using, for example, radio frequency identification (RFID) tagsaffixed to or embedded in the items. The interactive mirror system mayappear, at least initially, to the individual as an ordinary fittingroom mirror, while also being capable of displaying graphical userinterfaces (GUI) with multiple user interface (UI) elements alongside oroverlaid upon the reflection of the consumer using an embedded display.For example, the interactive mirror system may display each of the itemsin the fitting room and may further display suggested additional itemssuch as accessories (e.g., a belt) or alternative items (e.g., alternatecolors for the dress).

The interactive mirror also includes a touch-capacitive surface capableof receiving user input and allowing users to interact directly withdisplayed GUIs. For example, the consumer may be able to request adifferent size of the jeans from a UI element presented by theinteractive mirror system. Upon receiving such input, the interactivemirror may then transmit a notification to a device of a sales associaterequesting the alternate size. The interactive mirror system may alsohave a drawing feature, which allows users to “draw” items on thedisplay (e.g., mustaches, flowers, funny faces).

The interactive mirror system also enables the individual to customizethe environment of the fitting room. For example, the consumer mayadjust the lighting and the background of her reflection to simulate theenvironment in which she intends to wear a particular item she is tryingon.

After selecting items she wishes to purchase, the individual may leavethe fitting room to begin the checkout process. In some embodiments, theindividual may complete the purchase of items using her own mobiledevice. In other embodiments, the individual may complete thetransaction using the interactive mirror. In still other embodiments,the consumer may signify which items she intends to purchase by placingthem in a designated area of the fitting room (e.g., in a certain corneror on a certain rack), and the purchase may be automatically processedby the retail store.

Once payment for the items has been completed, a sales associate maybring packaging to the individual for the purchased items, and discussthe purchase with the consumer. The sales associate may then use amobile application to save a record of information discussed with theindividual. These records may be kept by the retail store, and used toimprove future shopping experiences. These records may also be sent asfeedback to a creator of the items (e.g., a designer, a manufacturer, ora producer) to improve future lines.

After leaving the store, the individual may receive a message with areminder of her experience. The message may, for example, include arecord of the items purchased (e.g., an invoice or receipt), a list ofall items the consumer tried on (e.g., the jeans, the belt, the dress,and the handbag), a list of other items of interest to the individual(e.g., items she looked at) and suggestions for additional items thatmay be of interest to the individual. The message may further enable theconsumer to purchase any referenced items for later delivery.

If the individual changes her mind about one of the items, she mayreturn to the retail store to return the item. The item may be quicklyidentified (e.g., using RFID) upon the individual entering the store orat a kiosk with such identification capabilities. Because each item isuniquely identified, the identification of the item also allows for easyidentification of the transaction details of the previous purchase. Theitem return may then be processed using the transaction details of thepurchase.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram depicting various functional components of anetworked retail store system 100, which provides interactivefunctionality to consumers at a retail store, consistent with someembodiments. To avoid obscuring the inventive subject matter withunnecessary detail, various functional components (e.g., modules andengines) that are not germane to conveying an understanding of theinventive subject matter have been omitted from FIG. 1. However, askilled artisan will readily recognize that various additionalfunctional components may be supported by the networked retail storesystem 100 to facilitate additional functionality that is notspecifically described herein. Further, it shall be appreciated thatalthough the various functional components of the networked retail storesystem 100 are discussed in the singular sense, multiple instances ofone or more of the various functional components may be employed.

As illustrated, the networked retail store system 100 includes a retailstore server 102 to provide processing capability and external networkconnectivity to the networked retail store system 100. The retail storeserver 102 may communicate and exchange data within and outside of thenetworked retail store system 100 that pertains to various functions andaspects associated with the networked retail store system 100 and itsusers. For example, the retail store server 102 may include an inventorymodule 104 that provides inventory tracking services to the networkedretail store system 100. The retail store server 102 also includes apayment module 106 that provides a number of payment services andfunctions to individuals visiting an interactive retail store.

The retail store server 102 is communicatively coupled to a database108, which stores data such as inventory, transaction histories, andmember profiles, for example. The inventory may include a record of eachuniquely identified item offered for sale by the retail store. Suchrecords may include detailed product information (e.g., a description,size, price, brand, style, fabric, and color) for each item. Thedatabase 108 may include multiple databases that may be either internalor external to the networked retail store system 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the networked retail store system 100 alsoincludes an interactive wall display 110, an interactive mirror display112, and an interactive product display 114 all configured tocommunicate with each other and with the retail store server 102 over aninternal network 101. As will be discussed in greater detail below, eachof the interactive wall display 110, interactive mirror display 112, andthe interactive product display 114 may also communicate and exchangedata over an external communication network (e.g., the Internet). Asshown, the interactive wall display 110 and the interactive productdisplay 114 include at least one display unit 116. The display unit 116is responsible for the presentation of information to consumers. Thedisplay unit 116 may, for example, be a light emitting diode (LED)display capable of presenting simple text, or a visual display devicesuch as a monitor or television that is capable of rendering rich andinteractive GUIs to consumers. In some embodiments, the display unit 116is a touch-capacitive display surface capable of receiving andprocessing input from individuals.

The interactive product display 114 may also include an identificationunit 118 capable of identifying items offered for sale by the retailstore to which the networked retail store system 100 is associated. Theidentification unit 118 may include an RFID reader capable of requestingand retrieving information from RFID tags or other similar devices thatare affixed to or embedded in items offered for sale by the retailstore.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the networked retail store system 100 alsoincludes at least one sales associate device 120 (e.g., operated by asales associate of the retail store) configured to communicate andexchange data over the internal network with the other components of thenetworked retail store system 100. The sales associate device 120 may beany of a variety of types of computing devices. The sales associatedevice 120 executes a sales associate application 122 for assistingsales associates in assisting customers. For example, the salesassociate application 122 may work in conjunction with the paymentmodule 106 to process payments from individuals. The sales associateapplication 122 may also work in conjunction with the inventory module104 to allow associates to monitor the inventory of items at the retailstore. In addition, the sales associate application 122 may enablecommunication with customers using other components of the networkedretail store system 100. Further, the sales associate application 122may enable a sales associate to control the functions of othercomponents of the networked retail store system 100.

The networked retail store system 100 may also be in communication witha client device (not shown) of a customer (e.g., a non-sales associate).Such a device may communicate directly with any of the components of thenetworked retail store system 100 using the in-store network (e.g.,WiFi) or a communication protocol which would allow direct communicationwith the components (e.g., Bluetooth low energy (BLE) or Near FieldCommunication (NFC)). In the alternative, a customer's client device maycommunicate with the networked retail store system 100 using an externalnetwork (e.g., the Internet). Further details regarding such a clientdevice are discussed below with respect to FIG. 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the networked retail store system 100 alsoincludes a RFID reader 124, a light array 126, and a beacon 128configured to communicate and exchange data over the internal networkwith the other components of the networked retail store system 100.Consistent with some embodiments, RFID tags or similar devices may beaffixed to, embedded in, or otherwise associated with items offered forsale (e.g., garments, handbags, jewelry, sunglasses) to uniquelyidentify the items. The RFID reader 124 may be used to retrieveinformation from these RFID tags, and in doing so, the RFID reader 124is capable of identifying items offered for sale. For example, the RFIDreader 124 may transmit a response or interrogator signal that, when inrange of an RFID tag, causes the RFID tag to provide a response thatincludes information about the item to which it is affixed. Thisinformation may, among other things, include an identifier of the item.

The light array 126 is a collection of network-controllable light bulbssuch as the Phillips Hue® light bulb or equivalent. The light array 126may include a centralized controller or hub that is communicativelycoupled to the collection of network-controllable light bulbs andprovides an interface to control the settings of the light bulbs. Insome embodiments, the light bulbs may be controlled directly without theneed for a centralized controller or hub.

The beacon 128 may be a hardware module that broadcasts signals using alow energy data transmission protocol such as BLE, and enables preciseindoor geo-location capabilities. Further, the beacon 128 may provideadditional contextual interaction and engagement by triggering specificapplication (e.g., “apps” executing on a client device) functionalitiesin proximate devices.

FIG. 2 is a network diagram depicting a network system 200 having aclient-server architecture configured for exchanging data between thenetworked retail store system 100 and a network-based marketplace 202,consistent with some embodiments. The network system 200 may include anetwork-based marketplace 202 in communication with the networked retailstore system 100, a client device 204 and a third party server 206. Itshall be appreciated that although the networked retail store system 100is shown in FIG. 2 to form part of a service that is separate anddistinct from the network-based marketplace 202, it will be appreciatedthat, in alternative embodiments, the networked retail store system 100may be included as part of, or function as an extension of, thenetwork-based marketplace 202

The network-based marketplace 202 communicates and exchanges data withinthe network system 200 that pertains to various functions and aspectsassociated with the network system 200 and its users. The network-basedmarketplace 202 may provide server-side functionality, via a network 208(e.g., the Internet), to the client device 204. The client device 204may be operated by a user of the network system 200 to exchange dataover the network 208. These data exchanges may include transmitting,receiving, and processing data to, from, and regarding content and usersof the network system 200. The data may include, but are not limited to:images; video or audio content; user preferences; product and servicefeedback, advice, and reviews; product, service, manufacturer, andvendor recommendations and identifiers; product and service listingsassociated with buyers and sellers; product and service advertisements;auction bids; transaction data; and social data, among other things.

In various embodiments, the data exchanged within the network system 200may be dependent upon user-selected functions available through one ormore client or user interfaces (UIs). The UIs may, for example, bespecifically associated with a web client 210 (e.g., a browser)executing on the client device 204, and in communication with thenetwork-based marketplace 202. The UIs may also be associated withapplication 212 executing on the client device 204, such as a clientapplication designed for interacting with the networked retail storesystem 100, the network-based marketplace 202, or the third party server206 (e.g., one or more servers or client devices). The application 212may, for example, provide users with the ability to communicate withsales associates in a retail store, retrieve inventory information,retrieve additional details about items offered for sale, save items forlater retrieval, add items to an electronic shopping cart, providefeedback about items, and complete purchases for items.

The client device 204, which may be any of a variety of types of devices(e.g., a smart phone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a personal navigation device (PND), a handheld computer, adesktop computer, a laptop or netbook, a wearable computing device, aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) device, a data enabled book reader, or avideo game system console), may interface via a connection 214 with thecommunication network 208 (e.g., the Internet or wide area network(WAN)). Depending on the form of the client device 204, any of a varietyof types of connection 214 and communication networks 208 may be used.For example, the connection 214 may be Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)connection, or other type of cellular connection. Such a connection 214may implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology,such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (3×RTT),Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)technology, or other data transfer technology (e.g., fourth generationwireless, 4G networks). When such technology is employed, thecommunication network 208 may include a cellular network that has aplurality of cell sites of overlapping geographic coverage,interconnected by cellular telephone exchanges. These cellular telephoneexchanges may be coupled to a network backbone (e.g., the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), a packet-switched data network, or toother types of networks).

In another example, the connection 214 may be Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi,IEEE 802.33x type) connection, a Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX) connection, or another type of wireless dataconnection. In such an embodiment, the communication network 208 mayinclude one or more wireless access points coupled to a local areanetwork (LAN), a WAN, the Internet, or other packet-switched datanetwork. In yet another example, the connection 214 may be a wiredconnection, for example an Ethernet link, and the communication network208 may be a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, or other packet-switched datanetwork. Accordingly, a variety of different configurations areexpressly contemplated.

Turning specifically to the network-based marketplace 202, an API server216 and a web server 218 are coupled to (e.g., via wired or wirelessinterfaces), and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectivelyto, an application server 220. The application server 220 may, forexample, host one or more applications, such as a marketplaceapplication 222 and a payment application 224. The application server220 may further host a plurality of user accounts for users of thenetwork-based marketplace 202, which may be stored in a database 228.

The marketplace application 222 provides a number of marketplacefunctions and services to users that access the network-basedmarketplace 202. For example, the marketplace application 222 mayprovide a number of publishing, listing, and price-setting mechanismswhereby a seller may list (or publish information concerning) goods orservices for sale, a buyer can express interest in or indicate a desireto purchase such goods or services, and a price can be set for atransaction pertaining to the goods or services.

The payment application 224 provides a number of payment services andfunctions to users. For example, the payment application 224 allowsusers to accumulate value (e.g., in a commercial currency, such as theU.S. dollar, or a proprietary currency, such as “points”) in accounts,and then later to redeem the accumulated value for products (e.g., goodsor services) that are made available via the marketplace application222. For some example embodiments, the payment application 224 generallyenables transfer of values (e.g., funds, reward points, etc.) from anaccount associated with one party (referred to as a sender) to anotheraccount associated with another party (referred to as a receiver).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the application server 220 is coupled to adatabase server 226 that facilitates access to the database 228. In someexamples, the application server 220 can access the database 228directly without the need for the database server 226. In someembodiments, the database 228 may include multiple databases that may beinternal or external to the network-based marketplace 202.

The database 228 stores data pertaining to various functions and aspectsassociated with the network system 200 and its users. For example, useraccounts for users of the network-based marketplace 202 may be storedand maintained in the database 228. Each user account may comprise userdata that describes aspects of a particular user. The user data mayinclude demographic data, social data, user preferences, and financialinformation. The demographic data may, for example, include informationdescribing one or more characteristics of a user. Demographic data may,for example, include gender, age, location information, employmenthistory, education history, contact information, familial relations, oruser interests. The financial information may, for example, includeprivate financial information of the user such as account number,credential, password, device identifier, user name, phone number, creditcard information, bank information, transaction history or otherfinancial information which may be used to facilitate onlinetransactions by the user. The transaction history includes informationrelated to transactions for goods or services (collectively referred toas “items” or “products”) that may be offered for sale by merchantsusing marketplace services provided by the network-based marketplace202. The transaction history information may, for example, include adescription of a product purchased by the user, an identifier of theproduct, a category to which the product belongs, a purchase price, aquantity, or a number of bids.

The user data may also include a record of user activity. Accordingly,the network-based marketplace 202 may monitor, track, and record theactivities and interactions of a user, using one or more devices (e.g.,client device 204), with the various modules of the network system 200.Each user session may be stored in the database 228 as part of anactivity log and each user session may also be maintained as part of theuser data. Accordingly, the user data may include past keyword searchesthat users have performed, web pages viewed by each user, products addedto a user wish list or watch list, products added to an electronicshopping cart, and products that the users own.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a third party application 230 executing on thethird party server 206 that may offer one or more services to users ofthe client device 204. The third party application 230 may haveprogrammatic access to the network-based marketplace 202 via theprogrammatic interface provided by the application program interface(API) server 216. Similarly, the API server 216 may provide thenetworked retail store system 100 with programmatic access to thenetwork-based marketplace 202.

The third party application 230 may be associated with an organizationthat conducts transactions with, or provides services to, the users ofthe client device 204. For example, the third party application 230 maybe associated with a network-based social network platform (e.g.,Facebook®, Twitter®, Google+®, Pinterest®, LinkedIn®, or the like) thatprovides a platform for members to build and maintain social networksand relations among other members. To this end, the social networkplatform may allow members to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities,events, and interests with other members of the social network. Socialnetwork platforms often provide a representation of each member in theform of a social network profile, and also maintain information aboutvarious aspects of each of its members, which is referred to herein as“social data.” The social data of each member may contain demographicinformation (e.g., gender, age, relationship status, employment statusand history, household size), geographic information (e.g., a hometown,a current location, locations visited), interests and affinities (e.g.,items the member “liked”), a list of social network connections, and ahistory of social network activity of the user.

For purposes of the present disclosure, a social network “connection,”also referred to as being “connected” on a social network, may includesituations in which there is a reciprocal agreement between members ofthe social network to be linked on the social network, as well assituations in which there is only a singular acknowledgement of the“connection” without further action being taken by the other member. Inthe reciprocal agreement situation, both members of the “connection”acknowledge the establishment of the connection (e.g., “friends”).Similarly, in the singular acknowledgement situation, a member may electto “follow” or “watch” another member. In contrast to the reciprocalagreement, the concept of “following” another member typically is aunilateral operation because it may not call for acknowledgement orapproval by the member who is being followed.

For purposes of the present disclosure, “social network activity”collectively refers to user interactions (e.g., creating, sharing,viewing, commenting, providing feedback, or expressing interest) withentries (e.g., text and image posts, links, messages, notes,invitations). Such social network activity may involve entries that areintended for the public at large as well as entries intended for aparticular social network connection or group of social networkconnections. Depending on the social network platform and the privacysettings of its members, the social network activity may be published inan entry and may involve entries such as an activity feed post, a wallpost, a status update, a tweet, a pinup, a like, a content share, or acheck-in.

It shall be appreciated that although the various functional componentsof the network system 200 are discussed in the singular sense, multipleinstances of one of more of the various functional components may beemployed. Moreover, while the network system 200 shown in FIG. 2 employsclient-server architecture, the present inventive subject matter is, ofcourse, not limited to such an architecture, and could equally well findapplication in an event-driven, distributed, or peer-to-peerarchitecture system, for example. The various functional components ofthe application server 220 may also be implemented as standalone systemsor software programs, which do not necessarily have networkingcapabilities.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example embodiment of multiplemodules forming the marketplace application 222, which is provided aspart of the network system 200 of FIG. 2. As is understood by skilledartisans in the relevant computer and Internet-related arts, eachcomponent (e.g., a module or engine) illustrated in FIG. 2 may representa set of logic (e.g., executable software instructions) and thecorresponding hardware (e.g., memory and processor) for executing theset of logic. Further, each of the components (e.g., a module or engine)illustrated in FIG. 2 is communicatively coupled (e.g., via appropriateinterfaces) to the other components and to various data sources, so asto allow information to be passed between the components or so as toallow the components to share and access common data. Moreover, eachcomponent illustrated in FIG. 2 may be hosted on dedicated or sharedserver machines that are communicatively coupled to enablecommunications between server machines. The various componentsillustrated in FIG. 3 may furthermore access the databases 228.

The marketplace application 222 may provide a number of publishing,listing, and price-setting mechanisms whereby a seller may list (orpublish information concerning) goods or services for sale, a buyer canexpress interest in or indicate a desire to purchase such goods orservices, and a price can be set for a transaction pertaining to thegoods or services. To this end, the marketplace application 222 is shownto include a publication module 300 and an auction module 302, whichsupport auction-format listing and price setting mechanisms (e.g.,English, Dutch, Vickrey, Chinese, Double, Reverse auctions etc.). Theauction module 302 may also provide a number of features in support ofsuch auction-format listings, such as a reserve price feature whereby aseller may specify a reserve price in connection with a listing, and aproxy-bidding feature whereby a bidder may invoke automated proxybidding.

A fixed-price module 304 may support fixed-price listing formats (e.g.,the traditional classified advertisement-type listing or a cataloguelisting) and buyout-type listings. Specifically, buyout-type listings(e.g., including the Buy-It-Now (BIN) technology developed by eBay Inc.,of San Jose, Calif.) may be offered in conjunction with auction-formatlistings, and allow a buyer to purchase goods or services, which arealso being offered for sale via an auction, for a fixed-price that istypically higher than the starting price of the auction.

A store module 306 may allow sellers to group their product listings(e.g., goods and/or services) within a “virtual” store, which may bebranded and otherwise personalized by and for the sellers. Such avirtual store may also offer promotions, incentives, and features thatare specific and personalized to a relevant seller. In one embodiment,the listings or transactions associated with the virtual store and itsfeatures may be provided to one or more users.

Navigation of the network-based marketplace 202 may be facilitated by anavigation module 308. For example, the navigation module 308 may, interalia, enable keyword searches of listings published via thenetwork-based marketplace 202. The navigation module 308 may also allowusers, via a sales-associated UI, to browse various category, catalog,inventory, social network, and review data structures within thenetwork-based marketplace 202. Various other navigation modules 308(e.g., an external search engine) may be provided to supplement thesearch and browsing modules.

An electronic shopping cart module 310 is used to create and maintain anelectronic shopping cart to be used by users of the network-basedmarketplace 202 to add and store products (e.g., goods and services)listed by the store module 306. The electronic shopping cart module 310may also be used to “check out,” meaning a user may purchase products inthe electronic shopping cart. The electronic shopping cart module 310may facilitate transactions by automatically finding the products in theelectronic shopping cart across at least one or all of a predefined setof vendors, a comparison shopping site, an auction site, etc. In variousembodiments, the selection criteria for which vendor or vendors topurchase from may include, but are not limited to, criteria such aslowest cost, fastest shipping time, preferred or highest rated vendorsor sellers, or any combination thereof.

A messaging module 312 is responsible for generation and delivery ofmessages to users of the networked retail store system 100. Suchmessages, for example, advise users regarding the status of listings atthe networked retail store system 100 (e.g., providing “outbid” noticesto bidders during an auction process or to provide promotional andmerchandising information to users). The messaging module 312 mayutilize any one of a number of message delivery networks and platformsto deliver messages to users. For example, the messaging module 312 maydeliver electronic mail (e-mail), instant message (IM), Short MessageService (SMS), text, facsimile, or voice (e.g., Voice over IP (VoIP))messages via the wired (e.g., the Internet), Plain Old Telephone Service(POTS), or wireless (e.g., mobile, cellular, WiFi, WiMAX) networks.

A recommendation module 314 provides item recommendation services andfunctions to users. The recommendation module 314 may receive requestsfor recommendations, and, in turn, provide a recommendation to the userbased, at least in part, on information about the user maintained aspart of the user data. In some embodiments, the recommendation module314 may automatically generate and provide a recommendation based on theactivity of the user. The recommendations provided by the recommendationmodule 314 may contain one or more items offered for sale that may be ofinterest to the user. The recommendations may, for example, be based onprevious products purchased by the user, a web page viewed by the user,an item given favorable feedback by the user, items owned by the user,or items of interest to the user while shopping in a retail store.

The networked retail store system 100 itself, or one or more partiesthat transact via the networked retail store system 100, may operateloyalty programs that are supported by a loyalty module 316. Forexample, a buyer may earn loyalty or promotions points for eachtransaction established or concluded with a particular seller, and theuser may be offered a reward for which accumulated loyalty points can beredeemed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting multiple instances of the interactiveproduct display 114, according to some example embodiments. Inparticular, FIG. 4 illustrates interactive product displays 400 and 402.As shown in FIG. 4, each of the interactive product displays 400 and 402include a shelf 404 to display items 406 and 408, respectively. Theshelves 404 may have one or more embedded identification units 118 foridentifying the items 406 and 408 placed thereon. For example, an RFIDtag may be affixed to the items 406 and 408, and the identification unit118 may include an RFID reader 124 to obtain information from the RFIDtags that includes, inter alia, a unique identifier of the items 406 and408. In another example, a paper tag with a barcode may be affixed tothe items 406 and 408, and the identification unit 118 may make use of abarcode scanner to uniquely identify the items 406 and 408.

Upon identifying the items 406 and 408, the interactive product displays400 and 402 obtain detailed product information about the items 406 and408 from the retail store server 102 such as item name, type or otherclassification, brand, price, size, color, and style. An LED displayunit 410 (e.g., an instance of the display unit 116) included in theinteractive product displays 400 and 402 presents at least a portion ofthe detailed product information. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, thedisplay units 410 of the interactive product displays 400 and 402present the item name and price.

FIG. 4 also illustrates rendering capabilities of an additional displayunit 412 (e.g., a video display tower) of the interactive productdisplay 402 to which the shelf 404 is affixed. As shown, the displayunit 412 may display background images that may be varied, for example,to provide a seasonal atmosphere to the retail store in which it islocated. In some embodiments, a sales associate may select images fordisplay (e.g., using the sales associate application 122). In someembodiments, a consumer at the retail store may select images fordisplay using an application executing on their mobile device, whereinthe application is specifically designed for use with the networkedretail store system 100. In some embodiments, the interactive productdisplay 402 automatically selects an image for display based on, forexample, attributes of the item being displayed (e.g., style or color),seasonality, location, temperature, activity in the retail store, aselected theme, recent newsworthy events, or upcoming holidays.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an instance of the interactive productdisplay 114, according to some alternative example embodiments. Inparticular, FIG. 5 illustrates an interactive product display 500, whichin this example embodiment is in the form of a display case having anembedded display unit 502. As shown, the display unit 502 may provide agraphical user interface (GUI) that includes information about each itemincluded within the display case. The display unit 502 of theinteractive product display 500 may include a touch-capacitive surfacethat allows users to interact directly with elements of the GUI. Forexample, the display unit 502 allows a consumer to select a product fromthe GUI that is included in the display case, and in turn, theinteractive product display 500 causes the item to be illuminated orotherwise visually distinguished from the other items in the displaycase. As another example, the display unit 502 allows a consumer tointeract with a GUI element that is used to call a sales associate forimmediate assistance.

FIG. 6A is a diagram depicting an instance of the interactive walldisplay 110, according to some example embodiments. The interactive walldisplay 110 may occupy at least a portion of a wall of the interior orexterior of a retail store. The interactive wall display 110 may bedesigned such that it provides an aesthetic complement to the interioror exterior of the retail store.

As shown, the display unit 116 of the interactive wall display 110 is anelectronic video display that presents various image content (e.g., abackground image). The image content may be a single image, a slideshowof images, or a video. Selection of the image content may be based onuser input, or may be performed automatically based on for example,seasonality, location, temperature, activity in the retail store, aselected theme, recent newsworthy events, or upcoming holidays.

The interactive wall display 110 may be configured to detect thepresence of a proximate individual. To this end, the interactive walldisplay 110 may employ any number of sensors to detect the presence ofan individual such as, for example, motions sensors (e.g., MicrosoftKinect, Passive infrared (PIR), Ultrasonic, Microwave, or Tomographicmotion detectors), heat sensors, noise sensors, GPS, or any combinationthereof. Consistent with some embodiments, the detection of anindividual proximate to the interactive wall display 110 may result in achange in the content being displayed.

For example, upon detecting the presence of a proximate consumer (e.g.,based on data received from an embedded motion sensor), the interactivewall display 110 may present a GUI that consumers may interact with(e.g., via a touch-capacitive surface) to browse or purchase itemsoffered for sale by the retail store. As an example, FIG. 6B is adiagram illustrating a GUI 600 being presented by the interactive walldisplay 110 in response to detecting the presence of an individual 602,according to an example embodiment. In particular, FIG. 6B illustratesthe interactive wall display 110 displaying the GUI 600 overlaid uponimage content. The GUI 600 identifies items offered for sale within theretail store, and provides detailed product information about such items(e.g., a picture, a description, a price, and available inventory).

In some embodiments, the interactive wall display 110 is configured toidentify and authenticate a detected proximate individual. Theinteractive wall display 110 may identify and authenticate individualsusing, for example, RFID, biometric data, a password or other logincredentials, a credit card, or the like. Once the individual 602 isidentified, the interactive wall display 110 may obtain user data (e.g.,maintained by the networked retail store system 100) describing theindividual 602. The user data may be used by the interactive walldisplay 110 to provide a personalized GUI that is customized to thepreferences and interests of the user. The personalized GUI may furtheridentify items the individual 602 had previously expressed an interestin either explicitly (e.g., by adding the item to a wish list, orthrough some other mechanism such as a “like” on Facebook), orimplicitly based on their online activity (e.g., adding an item to anelectronic shopping cart or repeatedly revisiting a particular item pagelisting).

FIG. 7 is a diagram depicting an interactive retail store fitting room700 having an interactive mirror display 112, according to some exampleembodiments. It shall be appreciated that the interactive fitting room700 is an example retail environment in which the interactive mirrordisplay 112 may operate, and in other embodiments, the interactivemirror display 112 may be deployed in other retail environments such asa storefront, a showroom (e.g., the portion of the retail store in whichitems are displayed), beside or behind a cash register, a restroom orrest area, a lobby, or a waiting area.

As shown, the interactive mirror display 112 presents a GUI 702 alongwith an image or reflection of an individual 704 trying on garments inthe fitting room 700. The interactive mirror display 112 includes twomodes of operation. In the first mode of operation, the interactivemirror display 112 functions as a mirrored surface and as a result, theinteractive mirror display 112 may appear to the individual 704, atleast initially, as an ordinary fitting room mirror. Upon detecting thepresence of the individual 704, the interactive mirror display 112 maytransition to the second mode of operation, shown in FIG. 7, in whichthe interactive mirror display 112 functions as a touch display surfaceoperable to receive user input and present the GUI 702. Accordingly,while the interactive mirror display 112 is in the second mode ofoperation, the individual 704 may interact directly with the GUI 702(e.g., expand, collapse, or move to another location) using touchgestures.

The GUI 702 may, for example, identify each item brought into theinteractive fitting room 700, and provide detailed product informationabout the items (e.g., price, brand, color, size). The GUI 702 mayfurther include one or more selectable elements (e.g., buttons) thatallow the individual 704 to request assistance from a sales associate.For example, the individual 704 may use the GUI 702 to request analternative size or color for an item brought into the fitting room 700.The GUI 702 may also allow the individual to browse other items offeredfor sale in the retail store, and may be used by the individual 704 toprovide feedback related to items. The GUI 702 may also include one ormore selectable elements (e.g., buttons) to select and solicit feedbackfrom a group of other users. The individual 704 may also use the GUI 702to complete a purchase of any items brought into the fitting room 700.

In an example of the operation of the interactive mirror display 112,the individual 704 may have previously identified the clothing andaccessories she owns (e.g., using the marketplace application 222), andonce the individual 704 is authenticated, user data for the individualis accessed and the items the individual owns may be identifiedtherefrom. Images of the items may then be digitally superimposed overthe image or reflection of the individual 704 presented by theinteractive mirror display 112. In this manner, the individual may beable to see what a particular item being tried on would look like withitems she already owns.

In addition, the GUI 702 may allow the individual 704 to specify one ormore environmental settings, which may be used by to adjust lightsettings of an overhead light array 706. The environmental settings mayalso be operable to adjust background image content presented on a videowall 708 located in the fitting room 700 across from or adjacent to theinteractive mirror display 112. The video wall 708 is an electronicvideo display or screen capable of rendering image content. Therendering of the image content may be for the purpose of recreating orotherwise mimicking an environment in which garments may be worn (e.g.,the beach). In some embodiments, the video wall 708 may be an instanceof the interactive wall display 110.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting various functional components of theinteractive mirror display 112, which is provided as part of thenetworked retail store system 100, consistent with some embodiments. Itshall be appreciated that although the various functional components ofthe interactive mirror display 112 are discussed in the singular sense,multiple instances of any one of the various functional components maybe employed. As shown, the interactive mirror display 112 includes adisplay unit 800, a controller 802, a camera 804, an RFID reader 806,and a motion sensor 808 all configured to be in communication with eachother (e.g., via a bus, a shared memory, a network, or a switch).

The display unit 800 is an electronic visual display that has two modesof operation. The first mode of operation is that of a mirrored surfacethat reflects an image. In some embodiments, the display unit 800 mayinclude one or more layers that provide a naturally reflective surface,while in some other embodiments, the camera 804 may be employed andconfigured such that the image feed captured from the camera 804 ispresented within the display unit 800 to provide the mirroredreflection. While in the first mode of operation, the display unit 800may appear to individuals as a common mirror such as those oftenemployed in traditional retail fitting rooms. The second mode ofoperation is that of a touch screen display surface that is capable ofpresenting content and receiving user input. In this manner, the displayunit 800 enables users to interact directly with what is displayed.While operating in the second mode, the display unit 800 maintains thereflective qualities of the first mode while simultaneously displayinginformation and enabling user interaction.

The camera 804 is a device for recording visual images. The camera 804may be configured to record an image feed (e.g., a sequence of visualimages), which may be stored or transmitted as image data, consistentwith some embodiments. The RFID reader 806 is a device for retrievinginformation from RFID tags. Consistent with some embodiments, the RFIDreader 806 may transmit an encoded radio signal (also referred to as an“interrogator signal” or “interrogator data”) to an RFID tag, and theRFID tag may, in turn, respond with an identifier and other information.The motion sensor 808 is a device that is configured to detect movingobjects such as people. Accordingly, the motion sensor 808 may employ anumber of sensor technologies such as passive infrared (PIR), microwave,ultrasonic, or tomographic motion sensor, for example. In someembodiments, the motion sensor 808 may work in conjunction with thecamera 804 to detect moving objects.

The controller 802 is illustrated to include an interface module 810, anauthentication module 812, an identification module 814, a communicationmodule 816, a feedback module 818, a recommendation module 820, a socialmodule 822, a polling module 824, a customization module 826, and apurchase module 828, all configured to be in communication with eachother (e.g., via a bus, a shared memory, a network, or a switch). As isunderstood by skilled artisans in the relevant computer andInternet-related arts, each module illustrated in FIG. 8 to be includedas part of the controller 802 may represent a set of logic (e.g.,executable software instructions) and the corresponding hardware (e.g.,memory and processor) for executing the set of logic. Further, any twoor more of these modules may be combined into a single module, and thefunctions described herein for a single module may be subdivided amongmultiple modules.

The interface module 810 is configured to generate and causepresentation of GUIs and other content (e.g., videos, images, or text)to users. The interface module 810 may work in conjunction with thedisplay unit 800 to process received user input and present informationto users. The information may be presented by the interface module 810so as not to disturb a reflection of an individual utilizing thefunctionalities of the interactive mirror display 112.

The authentication module 812 is used to identify and authenticateindividuals. In some embodiments, the authentication module 812 mayauthenticate individuals using a standard social network check-inmechanism. The authentication module 812 may also employ Beacon®technology designed by PayPal® to authenticate users, consistent withsome embodiments. The authentication module 812 may, in addition or inthe alternative, prompt individuals to enter a telephone number, pinnumber, passcode, or other password associated with an account of theindividual maintained by the networked retail store system 100 or thenetwork-based marketplace 202. The authentication module 812 may alsoemploy a variety of other authentication mechanisms, alone or incombination, such as facial recognition, voice recognition, fingerprintrecognition, gait or height measurements, or other types of biometricdata recognition mechanisms. Upon authenticating an individual, theauthentication module 812 may obtain user data about the individual fromthe retail store server 102 or the network-based marketplace 202. Theauthentication module 812 may also obtain social data about theauthenticated individual from one or more social network platforms(e.g., hosted by the third party server 206).

The product identification module 814 is configured to identify productsoffered for sale by the retail store in which the interactive mirrordisplay 112 operates. Each item may be uniquely identified and trackedusing the inventory module 104 and information stored in the database108. Each item may be uniquely identified using, for example, an RFIDtag, a barcode, a serial number or other such identifiers. Dependingupon how each item is uniquely identified, the product identificationmodule 814 may employ a variety of technologies to identify items suchas, but not limited to, an RFID reader 806, a barcode scanner, a keypador other input device to receive an identifier from individuals, orusing image processing and analysis techniques to automaticallyrecognize items from images received from a camera.

The communication module 816 is responsible for facilitatingcommunications between individuals and sales associates. Suchcommunications may, for example, include: requests for alternative items(e.g., alternative sizes, colors, or styles); requests for additionalitems; feedback related to items, the retail store, or sales associateperformance; requests for assistance; payment information; andpromotions or sales. These communications may be received by ortransmitted to any of the functional components of the networked retailstore system 100 or the network system 200. Further, the communicationmodule 816 may work in conjunction with the messaging module 312 totransmit messages (e.g., SMS text messages or emails) to client devicesof consumers of the retail store.

The feedback module 818 is configured to obtain feedback from consumersrelated to items. The feedback module 818 may receive feedbackinformation directly from individuals via the touch display screenfunctionality of the interactive mirror display 112 or the client device204 of the consumer, from information entered by a sales associate onthe sales associate device 120, or from the in-store actions of theindividuals (e.g., if a consumer tries on an item but does not purchaseit). In some embodiments, the feedback module 818 may work inconjunction with the interface module 810 to present selectable GUIelements to provide feedback related to an item. Such feedback may, forexample, indicate that an item was too expensive, the item did not fitproperly, or the item was not aesthetically pleasing.

The feedback module 818 may also be configured to track the amount oftime an individual wears a particular garment (e.g., while trying theitem on in a fitting room) and from that information, the feedbackmodule 818 may determine a metric for the buying intent or interest ofthe individual with respect to the item. For example, if an individualtries on a shirt for ten seconds and then takes it off, he probably hasa lot less interest in shirts of that style than a shirt he tried on forfive minutes with various other combinations of clothing.

The feedback module 818 may also track other information useful indetermining buying intent and interest in items by individuals. Forinstance, the feedback module 818 may track the percentage ofindividuals that try on a particular item and do not purchase. Thefeedback module 818 may also track the average time all individuals tryon a particular garment.

The feedback information obtain by the feedback module 818 may berecorded and stored as user data that is part of a user account of eachuser of the networked retail store system 100 or the network-basedmarketplace 202. The feedback information may also be monitored byretail stores and anonymously provided to creators of items (e.g.,designers, manufacturers, or producers) to provide real-time, localized,and segmented feedback about how specific items are performing withinspecific demographics. In this manner, inventory can be shifted from onestore to the next in a more rapid manner if there is insight into suchbehavior. Further, revisions in product lines can be made if items arenot converting to sales.

The recommendation module 820 may be configured to providerecommendations for additional items or suggestions for alternativeitems. In some embodiments, the recommendation module 820 may work inconjunction with the recommendation module 314 of the marketplaceapplication 222 to provide recommendations to individuals for itemsoffered for sale online.

Recommendations provided by the recommendation module 820 may be basedon previous items purchased by an individual, items owned by theindividual, items for which the individual has shown an interest,interests of the individual, or other user data about the individual.Consistent with some embodiments, recommendations provided by therecommendation module 820 may incorporate a retailer's editorialsuggestions as well as the preferences and history of the individual.

The social module 822 provides a number of social shopping services tousers of the interactive mirror display 112. Consistent with someembodiments, the social module 822 may work in conjunction with theinterface module 810 to simultaneously display one or more other userswho are in remote locations and have been authenticated by anotherinstance of the interactive mirror display 112. For example, if a groupof bridesmaids is trying on bridesmaid dresses in many differentlocations, they may each go to associated retail stores at the same timeto try on the dresses, and share images of themselves wearing thedresses in real-time with other members of the group.

The social module 822 may further work in conjunction with the interfacemodule 810 to provide a GUI that includes a list of a user's socialnetwork connections who have authorized them to see their ‘feed’ fromanother instance of the interactive mirror display 112. The list ofsocial network connections may be included as part of the social dataretrieved from one or more social networks. Upon receiving a selectionof one of the social network connections, the social module 822 mayprovide a communication interface to enable communication between theusers. Voice and other means of communication may be integrated tofacilitate communication. In this way, people located in differentstores or geographies can go ‘shopping’ with their friends and providereal-time input on buying decisions.

The polling module 824 may be utilized by an individual to receivefeedback related to an item he or she has an intention to purchase. Tothis end, an image of the item is captured from the image feed producedby the camera 804, and is transmitted to computing devices of one ormore users for input (e.g., by way of comments, voting. or polling) onthe item. In instances where the item is a garment, the image mayinclude the individual wearing the garment. The group that the image istransmitted to may, for example, be social network connections of theindividual selected by the user, a subset of the social networkconnections of the user identified as experts in items of that type, orother users that have experience relative to an item (e.g., designdirectors or fashionistas), or any combination thereof. The feedback maybe tallied and presented in real-time, or be collated and pushed to aclient device (e.g., client device 204) of the individual at any time.

In some embodiments, the target audience from which feedback is to bereceived may be an anonymous target audience. For example, if anindividual is trying on a shirt with the intention of wearing it to aclub where he intends to attempt to fraternize with females, theanonymous target audience selected by the polling module 824 may befemales who are club goers (e.g., as evidenced by social data),regardless of whether these females are part of the social network ofthe individual. Consistent with these embodiments, a number ofanonymizing techniques may be utilized to conceal the identity of theindividual. For example, prior to the image of the user beingtransmitted to the target audience, the individual's face in the imagemay be blurred or otherwise distorted. As another example, the imageitself may have an expiration time so as to provide anonymity to theindividual.

The customization module 826 may be used to customize a retailenvironment in which the interactive mirror display 112 is located(e.g., the fitting room 700). To this end, the customization module 826may adjust a number of environmental settings that specify theconfiguration of elements of the retail environment. The configurableelements of the retail environment may include the light array 126, theinteractive wall display 110, and an interactive mirror display 112. Theenvironmental settings include light settings and background settings.The light settings control the lighting of the retail environment andmay be adjusted to change the brightness, saturation, and hue of thelight array (e.g., light array 126) in the retail environment. Thebackground settings specify background images to be displayed, forexample, on an electronic video display (e.g., an interactive walldisplay 110) located behind an individual when facing the interactivemirror display 112.

Consistent with some embodiments, the customization module 826personalizes retail environments based on user preferences. For example,the customization module 826 may work in conjunction with the interfacemodule 810 to provide a GUI to a user that allows the user to adjustlighting and background settings of the retail environment based on theuser's tastes and preferences.

Consistent with some embodiments, the customization module 826customizes retail environments based on a garment type of a garment or adesired use of a garment being tried on by the individual. For example,if an individual is trying on a cocktail dress to be later worn at acocktail party, the background (e.g., a display wall located behind theindividual) may be changed to resemble a cocktail party, and thelighting can be adjusted to more accurately reflect the lighting of acocktail party. In this manner, the customized retail environmentreplicates the environment in which the garment is to be actually usedso as to enable the individual to make a better buying decision. Thecustomization module 826 may also perform retail environmentpersonalization in a predictive manner based on, for example, the typeof garment, calendar integration, user historical preferences, or otheruser data.

Consistent with some embodiments, the customization module 826 works inconjunction with the interface module 810 to present an image on thedisplay unit 800 of the individual within a customized environment. Thatis, using the camera 804 and the motion sensor 808, the outline of theindividual may be determined. The interactive mirror display 112 maythen replace the remainder of the image outside of the outline with thebackground image selected by the individual or predicted by thecustomization module 826 based on the garment type or desired use. Fromthe individual's perspective, the resulting effect is that she seesherself in the “mirror” in a customized environment, but the backgrounditself is not being reflected in the “mirror.”

The purchase module 828 is configured to facilitate the purchase ofitems from the interactive mirror display 112. As such, the purchasemodule 828 may work in conjunction with the payment module 106 of theretail store server 102 or the payment application 224 (e.g., PayPal) ofthe network-based marketplace 202 to facilitate the transfer of fundsfrom an account of an individual to an account of the retail store. Thepurchase module 828 may also be configured to communicate with a clientdevice (e.g., client device 204) of the individual such that theindividual may complete purchases from her own device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method 900 for providing aninteractive GUI, consistent with some embodiments. The method 900 may beembodied in computer-readable instructions for execution by a hardwarecomponent (e.g., a processor) such that the steps of the method 900 maybe performed in part or in whole by the functional components of theinteractive mirror display 112, and accordingly, the method 900 isdescribed below, by way of example with reference thereto. However, itshall be appreciated that the method 900 may be deployed on variousother hardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to theinteractive mirror display 112. For example, the method 900 may beembodied in computer-readable instructions for execution by one or moreprocessors such that the steps of the method 900 may be performed inpart or in whole by the interactive display wall 110 or the interactiveproduct display 114.

At operation 905, the authentication module 812 identifies an individualin a retail store. For example, the authentication module 812 mayidentify the individual by performing facial recognition analysis onimage data received from the camera 804. Once the individual isidentified, the authentication module 812 may identify a user account ofthe individual (e.g., maintained by the networked retail store system100 or the network-based marketplace 202), at operation 910. Theidentifying of the user account of the individual may, for example, bebased on profile image data included in user profile data maintained aspart of the user account.

At operation 915, the identification module 814 identifies an item ofinterest to an individual at a retail store. The item of interest may beidentified based on the individual looking at the item (e.g., based onhis presence in front of the item as determined by data received fromthe camera 804 or the motion sensor 808), the individual picking up orholding the item, or the individual bringing the item into a fittingroom (e.g., fitting room 700) or other retail environment in which theinteractive mirror display 112 is located.

Consistent with some embodiments, the identifying of the item ofinterest may be based on a signal produced by an RFID tag affixed to theitem. For example, based on the known strength of signals produced bythe RFID tag at various ranges, the identification module 814 maydetermine that the individual has moved the item from a first positionto a second position (e.g., the individual picked up an item or carriedthe item from one location to another). In another example, theidentification module 814 may detect the presence of an RFID signal in aparticular area of the store where such a signal was not previouslydetected, and based on this detection, the identification module 814 maydetermine that the individual carried the item into the particular area(e.g., the fitting room 700).

Consistent with some embodiments, the identifying of the item ofinterest may be based on an analysis of image data received from thecamera 804. The image data may include one or more image having visibledepictions of the individual and the item. As such, the identifying ofthe item of interest may include: receiving the image data from the oneor more cameras; performing object recognition on the image data toidentify the item and the individual according to one of several knownimage analysis and object recognition techniques (e.g., edge detection,edge matching, greyscale matching, gradient matching, or patternrecognition); measuring a distance between the identified item and theindividual; and determining that the individual is within the predefineddistance of the item to ensure that the item is actually of interest tothe user.

Upon identifying the item of interest, the identification module 814accesses detailed product information (e.g., an image, a description,price, category, color, size, style, brand) for the item (e.g., from thedatabase 108), at operation 920. Consistent with some embodiments, inaccessing the detailed product information, the identification module814 may work in conjunction with the RFID reader 806 to transmitinterrogator data to an RFID tag affixed to the item, and receive aresponse from the RFID tag that includes an identifier of the item. Theidentification module 814 may then use the identifier of the item toretrieve the detailed product information from the database 108.

At operation 925, the interface module 810 generates an interactive GUIusing the retrieved detailed product information. Accordingly, theinteractive GUI may, for example, include any one of an image, adescription, price, category, color, size, style, or a brand of theitem. In some embodiments, the interface module 810 may also retrieveone or more coupons or ads (e.g., from the database 108) for inclusionin the interactive GUI. Further, in some embodiments, the interactiveGUI may include one or more recommendations for items that are similaror related to the item of interest. Consistent with these embodiments,the recommendation module 820 may generate the one or morerecommendations based on user profile information for the individualmaintained as part of the individual's user account. Accordingly, therecommendations may be based on items the individual owns, haspreviously purchased, or has searched for on the network-basedmarketplace 202.

At operation 930, the interface module 810 causes the interactive GUI tobe displayed to the individual on the display unit 800 of theinteractive mirror display 112. Consistent with some embodiments, thecausing of the interactive GUI to be displayed includes providing a setof computer-readable instructions that causes the interactive mirrordisplay 112 to transition from a mirror surface to a touch displaysurface operable to receive user input and present the interactive GUI.In other words, the interface module 810 causes the display unit 800 totransition from the first mode of operation (e.g., a mirrored surface)to a second mode of operation (e.g., a touch display surface). Themethod 900 may, in some embodiments, include transmitting instructionsto a client device of the individual to present the interactive GUI atoperation 935.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1000 for providing an itemrecommendation to an individual, consistent with some embodiments. Themethod 1000 may be embodied in computer-readable instructions forexecution by a hardware component (e.g., a processor) such that thesteps of the method 1000 may be performed in part or in whole by thefunctional components of the interactive mirror display 112, andaccordingly, the method 1000 is described below, by way of example withreference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that the method 1000may be deployed on various other hardware configurations and is notintended to be limited to the interactive mirror display 112. Forexample, the method 1000 may be embodied in computer-readableinstructions for execution by one or more processors such that the stepsof the method 1000 may be performed in part or in whole by theinteractive display wall 110 or the interactive product display 114.

At operation 1005, the authentication module 812 identifies anindividual in a retail store. For example, the authentication module 812may identify the individual based on information transmitted by an RFIDdevice worn by or attached to the individual. Once the individual isidentified, the authentication module 812 may identify a user account ofthe individual (e.g., maintained by the networked retail store system100 or the network-based marketplace 202), at operation 1010. Theidentifying of the user account of the individual may, for example, bebased on profile image data included in user profile data maintained aspart of the user account.

At operation 1015, the identification module 814 identifies an item ofinterest to an individual at a retail store. Upon identifying the itemof interest, the identification module 814 accesses detailed productinformation (e.g., an image, a description, price, category, color,size, style, brand) for the item (e.g., from the database 108), atoperation 1020.

At operation 1025, the recommendation module 820 generates an itemrecommendation for the individual based on the user data and detailedproduct information of the garment. In some embodiments, therecommendation includes one or more items that are similar to thegarment but vary in some aspects such as color, price, style, or brand.In some embodiments, the recommendation includes one or more items thatare related to the garment such as accessories or other garments thatmay be worn with the garment. At operation 1030, the interface module810 causes the recommendation to be displayed to the user (e.g., on thedisplay unit 800). At operation 1035, the recommendation is transmittedto a client device of the individual using contact information includedin the individual's user data.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1100 for customizingenvironmental settings in a retail environment, consistent with someembodiments. The method 1100 may be embodied in computer-readableinstructions for execution by a hardware component (e.g., a processor)such that the steps of the method 1100 may be performed in part or inwhole by the functional components of the interactive mirror display112, and accordingly, the method 1100 is described below, by way ofexample with reference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated thatthe method 1100 may be deployed on various other hardware configurationsand is not intended to be limited to the interactive mirror display 112.Further, although specific references are made to a “fitting room,” itshall be appreciated that a fitting room is merely an example of one ofthe many retail environments in which the method 1100 may be deployed.

At operation 1105, the authentication module 812 identifies anindividual entering a fitting room (or other area of the retail store inwhich the interactive mirror display 112 is located). For example, theauthentication module 812 may identify the individual based on anidentifier (e.g., a name, username, or email address) provided by theindividual or a sales associate using a GUI provided by the interfacemodule 810 on the display unit 800. In another example, theauthentication module 812 may identify the individual based on datareceived from the camera 804 or motion sensor 808. In yet anotherexample, the authentication module 812 may work in conjunction with theRFID reader 806 to identify the individual using an identifier receivedfrom an RFID device worn by the individual.

At operation 1110, the authentication module 812 authenticates theindividual in a manner consistent with the methodologies discussedherein. At operation 1115, the authentication module 812 accesses userdata about the individual maintained as part of a user account of theindividual. The user data may, for example, include user preferences, apurchase history, and items owned by the user.

At operation 1120, the identification module 814 identifies (orretrieves an identifier of) a garment brought into the fitting room bythe individual or a sales associate providing assistance to theindividual. For example, the identification module 814 may work inconjunction with the RFID reader 806 to obtain an identifier of thegarment from an RFID tag attached thereto. Accordingly, theidentification of the garment may include transmitting interrogator datato an RFID tag affixed to the garment, and receiving a response from theRFID tag that includes an identifier of the garment.

In another example, the identifying of the garment may be based on ananalysis of image data received from the camera 804. The image data mayinclude one or more image having visible depictions of the garment. Assuch, the identifying of the garment may include receiving the imagedata from the camera 804 and performing object recognition on the imagedata to identify the item and the individual according to one of severalknown image analysis and object recognition techniques (e.g., edgedetection, edge matching, greyscale matching, gradient matching, orpattern recognition).

Upon identifying the garment, identification module 814 determines agarment type for the garment, at operation 1125. The garment type may bebased on information about the garment maintained by the networkedretail store system 100 (e.g., in database 108) or retrieved from thenetwork-based marketplace 202 (e.g., in database 228) or a third partyserver 206. The garment type may include any one of a style, a color, ora brand.

At operation 1130, the interface module 810 causes display of a GUIoperable to receive use case information from the individual. The usecase information defines the individual's intended use for the garment(e.g., to be worn at a cocktail party or to be worn at in an officeduring work hours). The GUI may include a drop-down menu including alist of predefined use cases and an additional text field for entering ause case not included in the list of predefined use cases. Theindividual may select a single use case or a plurality of use cases. Atoperation 1135, the customization module 1016 receives the use caseinformation specified by the individual using the GUI provided by theinterface module 810.

At operation 1140, the customization module 826 adjusts one or moreenvironmental settings of the fitting room based on any one of the userdata, garment type, or use case information. For example, if the userpreferences maintained as part of the user data indicate that theindividual prefers certain lighting conditions when trying on clothes,the customization module 826 may cause the light array 126 to change tothe preferred lighting conditions. As another example, if the garmenttype is a business suit, the customization module 826 may adjust one ormore light settings and the background setting so as to produce anenvironment that mimics a professional office setting.

Consistent with some embodiments, the customization module 826 mayadjust the environmental settings by transmitting machine-readableinstructions to one of more components in the fitting room. For example,the customization module 826 may provide instructions to the light array126 to adjust at least one light setting of the particular area. Inanother example, the customization module 826 may adjust a backgroundsetting by providing instructions to a video display wall that cause thevideo display wall (e.g., an interactive wall display 110) to display aparticular background image content (e.g., an image or video).

As an example of the operation of method 1100, FIG. 12 is a diagramillustrating the customization of the fitting room 700 provided by theinteractive mirror display 112, according to some example embodiments.As shown, the light settings of the overhead light array 706 (e.g., aninstances of the light array 126) have been adjusted and the backgroundsettings have been adjusted such that an image 1202 is presented on thevideo wall 708 (e.g., an instance of the interactive wall display 110),which in turn is reflected back by the interactive mirror display 112.In this example embodiment, the individual 704 (not shown) has specifiedthat the intended use of the garment is for jogging in the park, andaccordingly, the overhead light array 706 has been adjusted to producebright light to mimic sunlight, and the video wall 708 has beenconfigured to display a nature scene to mimic the environment of a park.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for providingreal-time feedback from a target audience regarding an item being triedon by an individual, consistent with some embodiments. The method 1300may be embodied in computer-readable instructions for execution by ahardware component (e.g., a processor) such that the steps of the method1300 may be performed in part or in whole by the functional componentsof the interactive mirror display 112, and accordingly, the method 1300is described below, by way of example with reference thereto. However,it shall be appreciated that the method 1300 may be deployed on variousother hardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to theinteractive mirror display 112. Further, although specific referencesare made to a “fitting room,” it shall be appreciated that a fittingroom is merely an example of one of the many retail environments inwhich the method 1300 may be deployed.

At operation 1305, the social module 822 captures an image of anindividual having an item of interest to the individual. For example,the social module 822 may, with the individual's permission, capture animage of the individual trying on a garment in a fitting room of theretail store. The social module 822 may capture the image from an imagefeed (e.g., a sequence of images) produced by the camera 804.

At operation 1310, the interface module 810 causes display of a userinterface to receive use case information from the individual. The usecase information specifies one or more intended uses of the item by theindividual. The user interface may, for example, include a drop-downlist of predefined use cases that may be selected by the individual toform the use case information. At operation 1315, the interface module810 receives use case information specified from the user via the userinterface.

At operation 1320, the identification module 814 identifies (orretrieves an identifier of) the item. For example, the identificationmodule 814 may work in conjunction with the RFID reader 806 to obtain anidentifier of the garment from an RFID tag attached thereto.Accordingly, the identification of the garment may include transmittinginterrogator data to an RFID tag affixed to the garment, and receiving aresponse from the RFID tag that includes an identifier of the garment.

In another example, the identifying of the garment may be based on ananalysis of the image of the individual with the item. As such, theidentifying of the garment may include performing object recognition onthe image to identify the item according to one of several known imageanalysis and object recognition techniques (e.g., edge detection, edgematching, greyscale matching, gradient matching, or patternrecognition).

Upon identifying the item, identification module 814 determines an itemtype of the item, at operation 1325. The item type may be based oninformation about the garment maintained by the networked retail storesystem 100 (e.g., in database 108), or retrieved from the network-basedmarketplace 202 (e.g., in database 228) or a third party server 206. Thegarment type may include any one of a style, a color, or a brand.

At operation 1330, the polling module 824 selects a target audience topoll for feedback related to the image of the individual with the item.Consistent with some embodiments, the target audience may be selectedbased on the use case information, the item type, or a combination ofboth. Accordingly, the selecting of the target audience may includeidentifying a plurality of users with a known experience related to theitem type or the intended use of the item. The known experience may bebased on information included in user data maintained as part ofrespective user accounts of the plurality of users. For example, thesocial module 822 may select a user to be part of the target audiencebased on the user having a history of transactions (either acting as thebuyer or seller) with items of the item type. In another example, thesocial module 822 may select a user to be part of the target audiencebased on a known hobby or occupation of the user giving rise toexperience with the use case.

In some embodiments, the target audience may be selected from aplurality of social network connections of the user included as part ofthe social data of the individual. Accordingly, the selecting of thetarget audience may include retrieving social data of the individualfrom one or more social networks that maintain a social network profilefor the individual.

At operation 1335, the polling module 824 polls each member of thetarget audience for feedback regarding the image of the individual withthe item. In some embodiments, the polling of the members of the targetaudience may include transmitting a message to client devices of thetarget audience that are executing applications designed to exchangedata with the interactive mirror display 112. The message may includeimage data comprising the image and a field for entering feedbackrelated to the image. Prior to transmitting the message to the targetaudience, the polling module 824 may distort aspects of the image of theindividual (e.g., the face) so as to anonymize the individual'sidentity. In some embodiments, polling of the target audience includestransmitting machine-readable instructions to the computing device ofeach member of the target audience that causes presentation of the imageand a survey related to the image.

At operation 1340, the polling module 824 receives feedback informationfrom members of the target audience regarding the item. The feedbackinformation may, for example, be textual comments, voice messages, videomessages, a numerical rating, or a response to the survey. At operation1345, the polling module 824 compiles feedback data from the feedbackinformation received from the various members of the target audience. Inembodiments in which the feedback information includes ratings, thecompiling of the feedback data may include calculating an aggregaterating from the ratings received from the various members of the targetaudience.

At operation 1350, the interface module 810 causes display of a feedbackGUI (e.g., on the display unit 800) that includes the feedback data. Thefeedback data may be presented to the individual in real-time as it iscompiled. In instances in which the feedback data includes textualcomments, textual responses to a survey, voice messages, or videomessages, the feedback data may be presented in the manner in which itis received (e.g., as a plain unedited text comment). In instances inwhich the feedback is a numerical rating, the feedback data may bedisplayed within the feedback interface as a graphical representation ofinformation such as a chart. At operation 1355, the communication module816 transmits the feedback data to a client device of the individual.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for providingreal-time feedback from a user-specified audience regarding an itembeing tried on by an individual, consistent with some embodiments. Themethod 1400 may be embodied in computer-readable instructions forexecution by a hardware component (e.g., a processor) such that thesteps of the method 1400 may be performed in part or in whole by thefunctional components of the interactive mirror display 112, andaccordingly, the method 1400 is described below, by way of example withreference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that the method 1400may be deployed on various other hardware configurations and is notintended to be limited to the interactive mirror display 112. Further,although specific references are made to a “fitting room,” it shall beappreciated that a fitting room is merely an example of one of the manyretail environments in which the method 1400 may be deployed.

At operation 1405, the social module 822 captures an image of anindividual with an item of interest to the individual (e.g., from animage feed produced by the camera 804). At operation 1410, the interfacemodule 810 causes display of a user interface for selecting socialnetwork connections of the individual to whom the individual wishes toshare the image. At operation 1415, the interface module 810 receives aselection of one or more social network connections selected by theindividual.

At operation 1420, the communication module 816 polls each socialnetwork connection selected by the individual for feedback regarding theimage of the individual with the item. In some embodiments, the pollingof the social network connections may include transmitting a message toclient devices (e.g., of the social network connections) that areexecuting applications designed to exchange data with the interactivemirror display 112. The message may include image data comprising theimage, and a field for entering feedback related to the image.

At operation 1425, the polling module 824 receives feedback information(e.g., from a image feed (e.g., a sequence of images) produced by thecamera 804) from social network connections regarding the item. Atoperation 1430, the polling module 824 compiles feedback data from thefeedback information received from the social network connections. Atoperation 1435, the interface module 810 causes display of a feedbackGUI (e.g., on the display unit 800) that includes the feedback data. Thefeedback data may be presented to the individual in real-time as it iscompiled. At operation 1440, the communication module 816 transmits thefeedback data to a client device of the individual.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for providing socialshopping services at an interactive retail store, consistent with someembodiments. The method 1500 may be embodied in computer-readableinstructions for execution by one or more processors such that the stepsof the method 1500 may be performed in part or in whole by theinteractive mirror display 112. The method 1500 may be embodied incomputer-readable instructions for execution by a hardware component(e.g., a processor) such that the steps of the method 1500 may beperformed in part or in whole by the functional components of theinteractive mirror display 112, and accordingly, the method 1500 isdescribed below, by way of example with reference thereto. However, itshall be appreciated that the method 1500 may be deployed on variousother hardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to theinteractive mirror display 112. Further, although specific referencesare made to a “fitting room,” it shall be appreciated that a fittingroom is merely an example of one of the many retail environments inwhich the method 1500 may be deployed.

At operation 1505, an authentication module 812 of a first instance ofthe interactive mirror display 112 authenticates a first individualentering at a first fitting room. At operation 1510, an authenticationmodule 812 of a second instance of the interactive mirror display 112authenticates a second individual entering at a second fitting room. Thesecond fitting room may be in the same retail store as the first fittingroom or in another retail store. At operation 1515, the camera 804 ofthe first instance of the interactive mirror display 112 beginsrecording an image feed of the first fitting room where the firstindividual is located, and the camera 804 of the second instance of theinteractive mirror display 112 begins recording an image feed of thesecond fitting room where the second individual is located. At operation1520, the first instance of the interactive mirror display 112 receivesimage feed data comprising the image feed from the second instance ofthe interactive mirror display 112 and vice-versa.

At operation 1525, the first instance of the interactive mirror display112 renders the image feed data received from the second instance ofinteractive mirror display 112 to display the image feed of the secondfitting room where the second individual is located. The secondinteractive mirror display 112 may, simultaneously, render the imagefeed data received from the first interactive mirror display 112 todisplay the image feed of the first fitting room where the firstindividual is located. At operation 1530, a respective communicationmodule 816 of the first and second interactive mirror displays 112provides a communication interface between the first and secondindividuals. The communication interface may allow the first and secondindividuals to exchange text-based messages, or may enable voicecommunication between the first and second individuals.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for determining aninterest level of an individual at an interactive retail store,consistent with some embodiments. The method 1600 may be embodied incomputer-readable instructions for execution by a hardware component(e.g., a processor) such that the steps of the method 1600 may beperformed in part or in whole by the functional components of theinteractive mirror display 112, and accordingly, the method 1600 isdescribed below, by way of example with reference thereto. However, itshall be appreciated that the method 1600 may be deployed on variousother hardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to theinteractive mirror display 112. Further, although specific referencesare made to a “fitting room,” it shall be appreciated that a fittingroom is merely an example of one of the many retail environments inwhich the method 1600 may be deployed.

At operation 1605, the authentication module 812 identifies andauthenticates an individual in a fitting room. The individual may beidentified and authenticated prior to or upon entering the fitting room.In identifying and authenticating the individual, the authenticationmodule 812 may identify a user account of the individual (e.g.,maintained by the network-based marketplace 202), and access user datamaintained as part of the user account. The user data may includecontact information (e.g., email address or phone number) for contactingthe individual.

At operation 1610, the identification module 814 identifies (orretrieves an identifier of) a garment offered for sale by the retailstore being brought into the fitting room by the individual or a salesassociate providing assistance to the individual. For example, theidentification module 814 may work in conjunction with the RFID reader806 to obtain an identifier of the garment from an RFID tag attachedthereto. Accordingly, the identification of the garment may includetransmitting interrogator data to an RFID tag affixed to the garment,and receiving a response from the RFID tag that includes an identifierof the garment.

At operation 1615, the identification module 814 determines theindividual is wearing the garment. The determination that the individualis wearing the garment may, for example, be based on a determinedproximity of the individual with respect to the garment. For example,the determining that the individual is wearing the garment may be basedon a signal produced by an RFID tag affixed to the garment. Forinstance, based on the known strength of signals produced by an RFID tagaffixed to the garment and another RFID tag associated with theindividual (e.g., embedded in a wearable device), the identificationmodule 814 may determine that the individual is within a predefineddistance of the garment.

Consistent with some embodiments, the identification module 814determines that the individual is wearing the garment based on ananalysis of image data received from the camera 804. The image data mayinclude one or more images having visible depictions of the individualwearing the garment. As such, the determining that the individual iswearing the garment may include: receiving the image data from the oneor more cameras; performing object recognition on the image dataaccording to one of several known image analysis and object recognitiontechniques (e.g., edge detection, edge matching, greyscale matching,gradient matching, or pattern recognition) to identify the garment beingworn by the individual.

At operation 1620, the feedback module 818 monitors the individualwearing the garment, and determines an amount of time the garment isworn by the individual. For example, the feedback module 818 may measurethe amount of time between determining that the individual is wearingthe garment and determining that the individual is no longer wearing thegarment (e.g., based on an RFID signal associated with the garment).

At operation 1625, the feedback module 818 determines an interest levelof the individual in purchasing the garment based on the amount of timethe individual wears the garment. Consistent with some embodiments, indetermining the interest level of the individual, the feedback module818 may access a look up table (e.g., from the database 108 or 228)having a plurality of predefined interest levels (e.g., “notinterested,” “interested,” “very interested”) that are mapped to acorresponding time range. The feedback module 818 may then identify thetime range corresponding to the amount of time the individual wore thegarment, and select the corresponding predefined interest level as theinterest level of the individual. For example, in accordance withinformation included in the look-up table, the individual wearing thegarment for two or more minutes may result in a determination by thefeedback module 818 that the individual is “very interested” in thegarment. At operation 1630, the feedback module 818 causes a record ofthe interest level of the individual in purchasing the garment to bestored as part of the user data maintained as part of the user accountof the individual.

At operation 1635, the recommendation module 820 generates an offer forthe individual based on the determined interest level. Consistent withsome embodiments, the offer may include a coupon or discount on thepurchase price of the garment. The value of the offer may be based onthe amount of time the individual wears the garment or on the determinedinterest level in purchasing the garment. In some embodiments, the valueof the offer may be inversely proportional to the amount of time theindividual wears the garment or on the determined interest level inpurchasing the garment. In other words, as the amount of time the userwears the garment increases, the amount of the discount may decrease. Inthis manner, individuals with a lower interest in purchasing a garmentwill be more incentivized (by way of the discount) to purchase thegarment as a result of the increased discount value.

Consistent with some embodiments, the generating of the offer by therecommendation module 820 may include generating one or morerecommendations for garments that are similar (e.g., other colors,sizes, or styles) or related (e.g., accessories) to the garment. In someembodiments, the offer may include generating a recommendation inresponse to determining that the interest level of the individual isabove a predefined threshold.

At operation 1640, the interface module 810 causes the offer to bedisplayed to the individual (e.g., on the display unit 800). Atoperation 1645, the communication module 816 transmits a message to acomputer device of the individual (e.g., client device 204) using thecontact information included in the user data of the individual. Themessage may, for example, be an email or text message that includes theoffer. In addition to the offer, the message may provide informationabout the garment and provide a mechanism whereby the individual maycause garment (among other items) to be added to an electronic shoppingcart (e.g., provided by shopping cart module 310), at which point thepayment application 224 may facilitate the purchase of the items addedto the electronic shopping cart by the individual.

At operation 1650, the interactive mirror display 112 transmits anadditional message to a creator (e.g., a designer or manufacturer) ofthe garment. The additional message may identify the garment and includethe amount of time the individual wore the garment, the determined levelof interest, and an indication of whether the individual purchased theitem.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for provisioningfeedback received from an individual at an interactive retail store,consistent with some embodiments. The method 1700 may be embodied incomputer-readable instructions for execution by a hardware component(e.g., a processor) such that the steps of the method 1700 may beperformed in part or in whole by the functional components of theinteractive mirror display 112, and accordingly, the method 1700 isdescribed below, by way of example with reference thereto. However, itshall be appreciated that the method 1700 may be deployed on variousother hardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to theinteractive mirror display 112. For example, the method 1700 may beembodied in computer-readable instructions for execution by one or moreprocessors such that the steps of the method 1700 may be performed inpart or in whole by the interactive display wall 110, or the interactiveproduct display 114. Further, although specific references are made to a“fitting room,” it shall be appreciated that a fitting room is merely anexample of one of the many retail environments in which the method 1700may be deployed.

At operation 1705, the authentication module 812 identifies andauthenticates an individual in a fitting room. At operation 1710, theidentification module 814 identifies (or retrieves an identifier of) agarment brought into the fitting room by the individual or a salesassociate providing assistance to the individual.

At operation 1715, the interface module 810 receives feedback regardingthe garment. The feedback may be received directly by the interactivemirror display 112 (e.g., on the touch-capacitive surface), from a salesassociate using the sales associate application 122 executing on thesales associate device 120, or from the client device of the individual.Accordingly, the receiving of feedback regarding the garment may includecausing display (e.g., on the display unit 800) of a feedback interfaceto receive feedback regarding the garment.

At operation 1720, the interface module 810 causes the received feedbackto be stored (e.g., in database 108 or database 228) and maintained aspart of user data about the individual. At operation 1725, thecommunication module 816 transmits a message to a creator (e.g., adesigner or manufacturer) of the garment that includes the receivedfeedback.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 for facilitating atransaction after an individual has left a retail store, consistent withsome embodiments. The method 1800 may be embodied in computer-readableinstructions for execution by one or more processors such that the stepsof the method 1800 may be performed in part or in whole by thefunctional components of the networked retail store system 100 discussedin FIGS. 1 and 2, and accordingly, the method 1800 is described below,by way of example with reference thereto. However, it shall beappreciated that the method 1800 may be deployed on various otherhardware configurations and is not intended to be limited to thefunctional components of the networked retail store system 100.

At operation 1805, the authentication module 812 identifies andauthenticates an individual entering a particular area of a retail store(e.g., a fitting room). Consistent with some embodiments, theauthentication of the individual may include identifying a user accountof the individual (e.g., maintained by the networked retail store system100 or the network-based marketplace 202) and accessing user datamaintained as part of the user account. The user data may includecontact information (e.g., an email address or phone number) forcontacting the individual.

At operation 1810, the identification module 814 identifies an item ofinterest to an individual at a retail store. The item of interest may beidentified based on the individual looking at the item (e.g., based onhis presence in front of the item as determined by data received fromthe camera 804 or the motion sensor 808), the individual picking up orholding the item, or the individual bringing the item into a fittingroom or other retail environment in which an interactive mirror display112 is located.

At operation 1815, the networked retail store system 100 detects theindividual leaving the retail store. The detecting of the individualleaving the retail store may be based on information received frommotion sensors 808, geo-position information received from the clientdevice 204 of the individual, image data received from an in-storecamera (e.g., the camera 804), or a strength of a signal produced by oneor more antennas (e.g., Bluetooth or WiFi) of the client device 204.

At operation 1820, the inventory module 104 verifies that the item ofinterest was not purchased by the individual. The verifying of the itemof interest not being purchased by the individual may include accessingtransaction and inventory data maintained in the database 108, forexample.

In response to detecting the individual leaving the retail store withouthaving purchased the item, the communication module 806 transmits amessage to the client device 204, at operation 1825. The message mayinclude a reminder to the individual of the one or more items ofinterest. The message may also provide detailed product informationabout the item and provide a mechanism whereby the individual may causethe one or more items to be added to an electronic shopping cart (e.g.,provided by shopping cart module 310).

Consistent with some embodiments, the message may include one or morerecommendations for items that are similar or related to the item ofinterest. Accordingly, prior to sending the message, the recommendationmodule 820 generates the item recommendations based on the detailedproduct information for the item of interest as well as user data (e.g.,user preferences) maintained as part of the user account of theindividual.

Consistent with some embodiments, the message may include one or moreoffers related to the item of interest. For example, the message mayinclude a discount that is applicable to a price of the item ofinterest. The value of the offer may, for example, be based on an amountof time the individual wears the garment or on a determined interestlevel of the individual in purchasing the garment. In some embodiments,the value of the offer may be inversely proportional to the amount oftime the individual wears the garment or on the determined interestlevel in purchasing the garment.

At 1830, the payment application 224 facilitates the purchase of theitem of interest. In some embodiments, the facilitating of the purchaseincludes receiving a request to add the item of interest to an electricshopping cart associated with the individual, wherein the request isgenerated in response to receiving a user selection of a selectableelement (e.g., a button) included in the message. The facilitating ofthe purchase may further include causing an instance of the item ofinterest to be added to the electric shopping cart, and facilitating thetransfer of funds from an account of the individual to an accountassociated with the retail store. Upon completing the purchase, theindividual may be provided with the option to have the one or more itemsdelivered or to pick them up from the retail store.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1900 for facilitating areturn of a purchased item, consistent with some embodiments. The method1900 may be embodied in computer-readable instructions for execution byone or more processors such that the steps of the method 1900 may beperformed in part or in whole by the functional components of thenetworked retail store system 100 discussed in FIGS. 1 and 2, andaccordingly, the method 1900 is described below, by way of example withreference thereto. However, it shall be appreciated that the method 1900may be deployed on various other hardware configurations and is notintended to be limited to the functional components of the networkedretail store system 100. Further, in some embodiments, the method 1900may be initiated in response to an individual placing a previouslypurchased item into a designated return slot, bin, or container thatincludes the networked RFID reader 124.

At operation 1905, the networked RFID reader 124 identifies a previouslypurchased item based on information received from an RFID tag affixed tothe item. Responsive to the item being identified, the retail storeserver 102 accesses stored transaction details (e.g., a data, an amount,an account identifier) pertaining to the previous purchase of the item,at operation 1910. At operation 1915, the retail store server 102identifies an account of the individual who purchased the item using thetransaction details. At operation 1920, the retail store server 102 mayidentify an amount of the purchase using the transaction details. Atoperation 1925, the retail store server 102 causes a transfer of value(e.g., the amount of the previous purchase) to the account of theindividual.

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or ina transmission signal) or hardware modules. A hardware module is atangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, oneor more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client, or server computersystem) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., aprocessor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field-programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses that connect the hardware modules). In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of theoperations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not onlyresiding within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment, or a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), with these operations being accessiblevia a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriateinterfaces (e.g., APIs).

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, or software, or in combinations ofthem. Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer programproduct, for example, a computer program tangibly embodied in aninformation carrier, for example, in a machine-readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus,for example, a programmable processor, a computer, or multiplecomputers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a standalone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site, or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry(e.g., an FPGA or an ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that both hardware and software architectures meritconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or in acombination of permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be adesign choice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

Machine Architecture

FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the exampleform of a computer system 2000 within which a set of instructions 2024for causing the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein may be executed. The computer system 2000 maycorrespond to the retail store server 102, sales associate device 120,controller 802, client device 204, the third party server 206, the APIserver 216, the web server 218, or the application server 220,consistent with some embodiments. The computer system 2000 may includeinstructions 2024 for causing the machine to perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein. In alternative embodiments, themachine operates as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g.,networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine mayoperate in the capacity of a server or a client machine in server-clientnetwork environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (ordistributed) network environment. The machine may be a personal computer(PC), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular telephone, a smartphone (e.g., iPhone®), a tablet computer, a web appliance, a handheldcomputer, a desktop computer, a laptop or netbook, a set-top box (STB)such as those provided by cable or satellite content providers, awearable computing device such as glasses or a wristwatch, a multimediadevice embedded in an automobile, a Global Positioning System (GPS)device, a data enabled book reader, a video game system console, anetwork router, switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executinginstructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be takenby that machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated,the term “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection ofmachines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets)of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The example computer system 2000 includes a processor 2002 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), orboth), a main memory 2004, and a static memory 2006, which communicatewith each other via a bus 2008. The computer system 2000 may furtherinclude a video display 2010 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or acathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 2000 also includes one ormore input/output (I/O) devices 2012, a location component 2014, a driveunit 2016, a signal generation device 2018 (e.g., a speaker), and anetwork interface device 2020. The I/O devices 2012 may, for example,include a keyboard, a mouse, a keypad, a multi-touch surface (e.g., atouchscreen or track pad), a microphone, a camera, and the like.

The location component 2014 may be used for determining a location ofthe computer system 2000. In some embodiments, the location component2014 may correspond to a GPS transceiver that may make use of thenetwork interface device 2020 to communicate GPS signals with a GPSsatellite. The location component 2014 may also be configured todetermine a location of the computer system 2000 by using an InternetProtocol (IP) address lookup or by triangulating a position based onnearby mobile communications towers. The location component 2014 may befurther configured to store a user-defined location in the main memory2004 or the static memory 2006. In some embodiments, a mobilelocation-enabled application may work in conjunction with the locationcomponent 2014 and the network interface device 2020 to transmit thelocation of the computer system 2000 to an application server or thirdparty server for the purpose of identifying the location of a useroperating the computer system 2000.

In some embodiments, the network interface device 2020 may correspond toa transceiver and antenna. The transceiver may be configured to bothtransmit and receive cellular network signals, wireless data signals, orother types of signals via the antenna, depending on the nature of thecomputer system 2000.

Machine-Readable Medium

The drive unit 2016 includes a machine-readable medium 2022 on which isstored one or more sets of data structures and instructions 2024 (e.g.,software) embodying or used by any one or more of the methodologies orfunctions described herein. The instructions 2024 may also reside,completely or at least partially, within the main memory 2004, thestatic memory 2006, and/or the processor 2002 during execution thereofby the computer system 2000, with the main memory 2004, the staticmemory 2006, and the processor 2002 also constituting machine-readablemedia.

Consistent with some embodiments, the instructions 2024 may relate tothe operations of an operating system (OS). Depending on the particulartype of the computer system 2000, the OS may, for example, be the iOS®operating system, the Android® operating system, a BlackBerry® operatingsystem, the Microsoft® Windows® Phone operating system, Symbian® OS, orwebOS®. Further, the instructions 2024 may relate to operationsperformed by applications (commonly known as “apps”), consistent withsome embodiments. One example of such an application is a mobile browserapplication that displays content, such as a web page or a userinterface using a browser.

While the machine-readable medium 2022 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include asingle medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributeddatabase, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one ormore data structures or instructions. The term “machine-readable medium”shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding, or carrying instructions (e.g., the instructions2024) for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to performany one or more of the methodologies of the present disclosure, or thatis capable of storing, encoding, or carrying data structures used by orassociated with such instructions. The term “machine-readable medium”shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to,solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examplesof machine-readable media include non-volatile memory, including by wayof example semiconductor memory devices (e.g., erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such asinternal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; andCD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Furthermore, the tangible machine-readable medium is non-transitory inthat it does not embody a propagating signal. However, labeling thetangible machine-readable medium “non-transitory” should not beconstrued to mean that the medium is incapable of movement—the mediumshould be considered as being transportable from one real-world locationto another. Additionally, since the machine-readable medium is tangible,the medium may be considered to be a machine-readable device.

Transmission Medium

The instructions 2024 may further be transmitted or received over anetwork 2026 using a transmission medium. The instructions 2024 may betransmitted using the network interface device 2020 and any one of anumber of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examples ofcommunication networks include a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, mobiletelephone networks, POTS networks, and wireless data networks (e.g.,WiFi and WiMax networks). The term “transmission medium” shall be takento include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding,or carrying the instructions 2024 for execution by the machine, andincludes digital or analog communications signals or other intangiblemedia to facilitate communication of such software.

Although the embodiments of the present inventive subject matter havebeen described with reference to specific example embodiments, it willbe evident that various modifications and changes may be made to theseembodiments without departing from the broader scope of the inventivesubject matter. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to beregarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof show by way ofillustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which thesubject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated aredescribed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art topractice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be usedand derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutionsand changes may be made without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken ina limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined onlyby the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents towhich such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in thisdocument are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, asthough individually incorporated by reference. In the event ofinconsistent usages between this document and those documents soincorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated referencesshould be considered supplementary to that of this document; forirreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patentdocuments, to include one or more than one, independent of any otherinstances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In thisdocument, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that“A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unlessotherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and“in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respectiveterms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, theterms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended; that is, a system,device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to thoselisted after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within thescope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms“first,” “second,” “third,” and so forth are used merely as labels, andare not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: an interactive mirrordisplay unit; a controller communicatively coupled to the interactivemirror display unit, the controller comprising: an identification modulecomprising one or more hardware processors and a reader component, theidentification module configured to identify an item based on anidentifier obtained by the reader component from an identificationdevice affixed to the item, the identification device including areadable medium storing the information, the identification modulefurther configured to access, from an inventory system, an item recordassociated with the item using the identifier, the item record includingan image of the item and product information describing the item; and aninterface module configured to generate an interactive graphical userinterface (GUI) using the image and the product information, theinterface module further configured to cause the interactive GUI to bepresented to the individual on the display unit, the interface moduleconfigured to cause the interactive GUI to be presented by performingoperations including providing a set of computer-readable instructionsto the display unit that causes the display unit to transition from amirror surface to a touch display surface operable to receive user inputand present the interactive GUI.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein: theinterface module is further configured to receive user input entered viathe interactive GUI, the user input including a request for analternative item, the alternative item differing from the item in atleast one aspect; and the system further comprises a communicationmodule configured to transmit a message to a mobile device of a salesassociate, the message including the request for the alternative item.3. The system of claim 2, wherein the alternative item differs from theitem in at least one of size or color.
 4. The system of claim 2, whereinthe user input is entered using a display element presented within theinteractive GUI in conjunction with a display of the image of the item.5. The system of claim 1, wherein: the identification module is furtherconfigured to: identify an additional item; and access, from theinventory system, an additional item record associated with theadditional item, the additional item record including detailed productinformation describing the additional item; the interface module isfurther configured to update the interactive GUI to display the detailedproduct information describing the additional item in conjunction withthe image and the product information describing the item.
 6. The systemof claim 1, wherein the reader component obtains the identifier byperforming operations comprising: transmitting interrogator data to theidentification device affixed to the item; and receiving a response fromthe identification device, the response including the identifier.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the identification device is a radiofrequency identification (RFID) device.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the interactive GUI includes a display of the image of the item,a product description, and a price.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein:the interface module is further configured to receive user input enteredvia the touch display surface of the interactive mirror display; and theinterface module is further configured to update the interactive GUIpresented on the interactive mirror display responsive to receiving theuser input.
 10. A method comprising: identifying, using an readercomponent coupled to an interactive mirror display, an item based on anidentifier obtained from an identification device affixed to the item,the identification device including a readable medium storing theidentifier; accessing, from an inventory system, an item recordassociated with the item, the item record including an image of the itemand product information describing the item; generating an interactivegraphical user interface (GUI) using the image and product information;and causing the interactive GUI to be presented to on the interactivemirror display, the causing of the interactive GUI to be presentedincluding providing a set of computer-readable instructions to theinteractive mirror display that causes the interactive mirror display totransition from a mirror surface to a touch display surface operable topresent the interactive GUI and receive user input.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising: receiving user input entered via theinteractive GUI, the user input including a request for an alternativeitem, the alternative item differing from the item in at least oneaspect; and transmitting a message to a mobile device of a salesassociate, the message including the request for the alternative item.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the alternative item differs fromthe item in at least one of size or color.
 13. The method of claim 11,the user input is entered using a display element presented within theinteractive GUI in conjunction with a display of the image of the item.14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: identifying anadditional item; accessing, from the inventory system, an additionalitem record associated with the additional item, the additional itemrecord including detailed product information describing the additionalitem; updating the interactive GUI to display the detailed productinformation describing the additional item in conjunction with the imageand the product information describing the item.
 15. The method of claim10, wherein the identifying of the item includes: transmittinginterrogator data to the identification device affixed to the item; andreceiving a response from the identification device, the responseincluding the identifier.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein theidentification device is a radio frequency identification (RFID) device.17. The method of claim 10, wherein the interactive GUI includes adisplay of the image of the item, a product description, and a price.18. The method of claim 10, further comprising: receiving user inputentered via the touch display surface of the interactive mirror display;and updating the interactive GUI presented on the interactive mirrordisplay responsive to receiving the user input.
 19. The method of claim10, further comprising: causing display, within the interactive GUI, ofa prompt to enter either a telephone number or email address; receiving,via the interactive GUI, a telephone number or an email address;communicating a message using the telephone number or the email address,the message including information about the item
 20. A non-transitorymachine-readable medium embodying instructions that, when executed by amachine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:identifying, using an reader component coupled to an interactive mirrordisplay, an item based on an identifier obtained from an identificationdevice affixed to the item, the identification device including areadable medium storing the identifier; accessing, from an inventorysystem, an item record associated with the item, the item recordincluding an image of the item and product information describing theitem; generating an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) using theimage and product information; and causing the interactive GUI to bepresented to on the interactive mirror display, the causing of theinteractive GUI to be presented including providing a set ofcomputer-readable instructions to the interactive mirror display thatcauses the interactive mirror display to transition from a mirrorsurface to a touch display surface operable to present the interactiveGUI and receive user input.